did you guys see the poem from a couple of days ago in poetry dot org’s daily poem it was so good and a treat to read
This is the magic lucky word count. Reblog for creativity juice. It might even work, who knows.
little ways to change your life:
learn how to write a new style of handwriting. try wearing your hair or makeup differently. find a new perfume you like.
do things for yourself, not for the validation of others. resist the temptation to post everything online.
start doing something you usually can't be bothered to do. like making your bed, folding everything neatly, stretching every hour, going on jogs, making a healthy meal from scratch or sleeping earlier.
make your surroundings as cozy and as pleasing for you to look at as possible.
bake delicious but sometimes deformed pastries. write things that no one "gets". wear clothes and hairstyles that make u happy. crotchet a sock badly. draw a picture that won't be aesthetic on instagram. let go of the perfect image of who you need to be. do things for yourself.
be messy. self-expression isn't always pretty. scribble messily in a notebook. draw messily an idea for a character. write a messy draft for a story.
learn your thing from scratch, whether it's astronomy, greek mythology, flower species, piano, japanese, making jam, drawing comics, or something completely different.
let yourself fully enjoy everyday things like food, commute, and your morning routines. slow down and notice every single thing that makes you feel nice.
appreciate nature, like the sunlight streaming through in the morning, the sound of rain, and the colors of sunsets.
notice the deeper meanings and emotions in songs, poetry and paintings.
let people in. give new loves and friendships a chance. initiate conversations when you want.
read as much as you can. read different genres, popular and unpopular books, classics and new releases. give every book that catches your eye a chance.
enjoy your solitude like you're a character in a movie. if you can, go out for walks alone. visit the park to look at dogs, a café to people-watch, or a library to spend the afternoon buried in a book. bring a journal everywhere with you, and write poetry and quotes and doodles.
collect little things, like vinyls, pretty rocks and shells, stuffed animals, whatever makes you happy.
find a sport you like. pretend you're a superhero. dance like no one's watching. swim like you're a mermaid. exercise is supposed to be fun, so find one that you like.
make self care a priority. this includes taking your meds on time, starting to study for a test after procrastinating for weeks, deleting things that trigger negative emotions, and knowing when to let go and ask for help.
distance yourself from sources of negativity. learn to be ok on your own. know your worth and boundaries.
let go of the past. forgive yourself for the things you regret and start again.
let go of old relationships. there's a difference between missing someone and wanting them back in your life.
let go of your need to be perfect. it does more harm than good.
never compare yourself. it will always feel like a losing battle, no matter how amazing you really are.
keep in touch with people you don't speak to much. even a message can brighten someone's day.
be kind to everyone you meet, even strangers. if someone makes you happy, make them happier. compliment often, and be less judgemental. give someone a smile, you never know how much it means to them.
wake up earlier in the morning. wake up with the sun and fall asleep with the moon.
if you want to be calmer and more productive, remove things on your phone and social media apps that you don't need. (which is most of them).
make a list of qualities in the person you dream of becoming. write about your ideal life with what you have. make goals to be the happiest and healthiest version of yourself.
don't suppress your emotions, but don't overthink them either. have a kinder relationship with your body and your thoughts.
don't be afraid to ask for help, whether it's a teacher, therapist, friend, doctor or parent.
remember that healing and loving yourself is just starting over and over. it's not too late. you're still young and you can move and grow at your own pace. your peak is yet to come.
if you live in the imperial core, you profit directly from the genocide in gaza. yes, even if you are poor. centuries of our comfort and commodities have been bought with the displacement of populations, the manufacture and sale of arms, and the mutual wealth reinforcement of proxies like isr ael. the literal least we can do is offset a little of our privilege by throwing people a few bucks for food and water.
From Lizzie Ferguson's chapbook, I Never Leave Lost Teeth Under My Pillow, available from Bottlecap Press!
#89
I saw you today.
I had given up on spotting your sunlight silhouette.
But I saw you for a moment.
Your hand was real and raw and in my hand for the obsessing or destroying.
But I just watched my fingers curl around yours and noticed the crinkles around your eyes.
And smiled back.
i hate it when i cant even write a poem about something because its too obvious. like in the airbnb i was at i guess it used to be a kids room cause you could see the imprint of one little glow in the dark star that had been missed and painted over in landlord white. like that's a poem already what's the point
When I was in middle school, I tried to learn how to crochet. I knew how to knit already, so I figured ‘how hard could it be’ and used my Christmas money on a brand new set of aluminum hooks and a how-to book.
To say it was difficult was an understatement. I spent hours pouring over my book, begging to gain some inkling of understanding from what felt like incomprehensible runes. My reward? One lopsided trapezoid of lumpy fabric and a resolve to never pick up a crochet hook again.
And so life went on, I finished middle school and high school without giving crochet so much as a second glance. In college, I read about how crochet couldn’t be replicated by a machine, it was unique in a way that knitting and many other fiber arts weren’t.
For Christmas last year, my girlfriend gave me what I now consider to be my most prized possession: a crocheted plush of my favorite pokemon. I raved over her skills and, since she never learned how to knit, we decided to have a yarn date at some point and teach each other our respective skills.
We never did get around to that yarn date. She passed a few months after our declaration, leaving me to inherit what was left of her yarn.
Nearly a decade after my initial attempt, I got ready for the toughest battle of my life. My weapons? One skein of yarn, a YouTube video, and a crochet hook that I had somehow never gotten rid of.
I slowly made my way through the video, redoing my work a couple times until I was satisfied with my product: a small, slightly misshapen rectangle.
I looked at my pristinely-made pokemon plush with hope for the first time in months and thought to myself, ‘maybe crocheting isn’t the hardest thing in the world, maybe you were just 12.’
Maybe this isn’t the hardest thing in the world. Maybe I’m just 21.
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